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The Ghost Planet
, | format = | pages = 26 | publisher = Gold Key Comics | ISBN = | altcover = Original 1969 cover. }} Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock save a planet from extinction, but are doomed by its war-mad leaders! Summary :Captain's log, stardate 26:06.4. ''Enterprise moving deep into galaxy Zelta... We have sighted a strange ringed area... it may conceal a planet... investigation under way...'' Spock discovers that the rainbow-colored rings are composed of copper and are circulating around a planet. Investigating, the Enterprise discovers high levels of radiation and a deserted city. Kirk, Spock, Denton and another crewman beam down to the surface, where an automated voice welcomes them and a robot-controlled vehicle arrives to pick them up. It takes them through the ruined city to the central communications building, where Justin I and Justin II, the rulers of the planet, communicate with them over a viewscreen. They explain that the planet's natives were forced to leave after the radioactive rings formed around their planet. Two artificial satellites were constructed to house them, but they are now overpopulated, and with no way to construct more satellites or destroy the rings, the Justins ask Kirk for help. Spock says that destroying the rings is possible, but he will need time to make the calculations. The Justins thank the landing party and sign off. However, Spock wonders to Kirk why two satellites were built, and the other two crewmen find a room guarded by robots which react with hostility when they try to enter it. After disabling the robots, Kirk and Spock enter and discover evidence that the Justins had been fighting a war against each other in which more than 500,000 were killed, and only stopped when the rings forced them to call a truce. Realizing that the war will resume after the rings are destroyed, Kirk confronts the Justins on the Enterprise. They insist that there are no weapons left, and suggest that the Enterprise leave visual detectors on the planet to observe them and ensure that no weapons are ever produced again, to which Kirk agrees. The Enterprise succeeds in destroying the rings, and a landing party transports down to test the surface for radiation. While there, they discover a stockpile of nuclear weapons belonging to the Justins, proving that they had been lied to again. The two rulers come down to the planet and attack the landing party while jamming the transporter, preventing them from beaming away. Spock contacts McCoy and has him play films made of the rings in the planet's atmosphere, making it look like the rings have returned. Convinced that the Enterprise can bring back the rings at any time, the Justins stop fighting and agree to let their weapons be destroyed. References Characters :Denton • Justin I • Justin II • James T. Kirk • Leonard McCoy • Spock Starships and vehicles : ( ) Locations :Galaxy Zelta • Numero Uno Races and cultures :Human • Unoite • Vulcan States and organizations :Green Army • Orange Army • United Federation of Planets Other references :captain • copper • Esperanta • nuclear weapon • planet • radiation • robot • uranium • war • water Appendices Background * This story has been released nine times in English and has been translated 16 times into other languages: French (3x), Italian (3x), Portuguese (3x), Dutch (2x), German (2x), Turkish (2x), and Spanish. * Carrying a cover date of September 1969, and on sale from late summer, "The Ghost Planet" stands as the first licensed piece of original Star Trek fiction to be released globally following the broadcast of the final episode of the original series. In the United Kingdom, however, the third installment of , the UK comic strips, fifth story arc, was released on June 7, 1969, one week after aired. Images gold Key 05.jpg|Cover image. jtk GK5.jpg|James T. Kirk. spock GK5.jpg|Spock. backpacks Gold Key.jpg|Landing party. gold Key 37.jpg|Reprint cover image. Connections Production history ;September 1969 : First published by Gold Key Comics ;September 1970 : Printed in hardcover in Star Trek Annual (1970) (World Distributors Limited) ;May 1976 : Reprinted with a new cover image by Gold Key Comics as issue #37 ;August 1976 : Printed in the omnibus The Enterprise Logs, Volume 1 (Golden Press) ;12 March 1977 - 4 June 1977 : Serialized in Mighty TV Comic #1317 - 1329 ;June 2004 : Printed in the omnibus The Key Collection, Volume 1 (Checker Book Publishing Group) ;2004 : The cover, two images and a quote were reprinted on Gold Key Chase Card #5 in the card set Quotable Star Trek (Rittenhouse Archives) ;September 2008 : Included on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD (Graphic Imaging Technologies) ;August 2014 : Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Gold Key Archives, Volume 1 (IDW) ;2 March 2017 : Remastered in hardcover in the omnibus Graphic Novel Collection #5 (Eaglemoss) Translations ;December 1972 : Portuguese: As "O Planeta Fantasma" in b/w in Jornada Nas Estrelas #13 (1st series) (Ebal) ;September 1972 : Italian: As "Il Pianeta Fantasma" in Star Trek Albi Spada #5 (Edizioni Fratelli Spada) ;1 October 1972 : French: As "La Planète Fantôme" in Les Héros de L'Aventure #18 (Remparts) ;1972 or 1973 : French: In the omnibus Star Trek Album #2 (Remparts) ;3 February 1973 : Spanish: As "El Planeta Fantasma" in TV Mundial #241 Viaje a las Estrellas (Editorial Novaro) ;1974 : Dutch: As "De Spookplaneet" in b/w in Star Trek #1 (De Vrijbuiter) ;1974 : German: Serialized over two issues as “Der Geisterplanet” in Zack 1974 #51-52 (Koralle) ;1974 : Italian: As "Il Pianeta Fantasma" in Raccolta Superspada #3 (Edizioni Fratelli Spada) ;March 1976 : Portuguese: As "Os Gêmeos Guerreiros" in J''ornada Nas Estrelas'' #3 (2nd Series) (Abril) ;April 10 1978: Portuguese: In b/w in O Caminho das Estrelas #5 (Aguiar) ;December 1978 : French: As "Les Jumeaux Suprêmes" in Rin Tin Tin et Rusty #107 (Sagédition) ;1978 : Dutch: As "De Spookplaneet" in Strip-album #1 (De Vrijbuiter) ;1978 : German: Abridged as "Der Geister-Planet" in Raumschiff Enterprise Comic Album #1(Condor) ;1981 : Turkish: B/W digest-size in Uzay Yolu #2 (Alfa) ;2000 : Turkish: In Star Trek #2 (Alfa) ;2005 : Italian: In the omnibus The Gold Key Collection, Volume 2 (Free Books) External links * category:tOS comics